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Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

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Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Adorably festive candy cane kiss cookies come together with a handful of basic baking ingredients. These are drop-style cookies (no rolling pin needed!) with plenty of colorful Christmas sprinkles and candy cane-flavored Hershey’s Kisses pressed in the center. They’re the nut-free, peppermint version of classic peanut butter blossoms!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups + 1 Tablespoon (260g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract*
  • 1/2 cup (about 90g) nonpareil sprinkles (I use these)
  • 32–36 candy cane flavor Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped

Directions

  • Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until creamy and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
  • Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until fully combined. The dough will be very thick.
  • Roll dough into balls, 1 scant Tablespoon of dough each (each dough ball should weigh about 20g). The dough may seem dry, but the warmth of your hands will allow it to come together in a ball. Roll each dough ball generously in the sprinkles. If the sprinkles are not sticking to the dough balls, the dough may be too firm. Try pouring the sprinkles onto a plate and pressing the dough balls into the sprinkles. Or continue rolling the dough balls, as the warmth from your hands can help get the sprinkles to stick. If this still isn’t helping, beat 1 teaspoon of water into the dough to help make it a bit stickier, and then try again.
  • Place sprinkled dough balls on a baking sheet or plate (whatever will fit in your refrigerator). Chill them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, and up to 1 day. If chilling for longer than 1 hour, cover them.
  • While the cookie dough balls are chilling, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
  • Place the chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges appear set. The cookies may look under-baked in the centers; that’s ok—do not over-bake. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
  • Set the Hershey’s Kisses: Press a kiss candy into the center of each, then, using a thin spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to a large plate or a few smaller plates (gently—they’re soft). Place the plate(s) of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the candy in the cookie.
  • Remove from the freezer and serve.
  • Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

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